Mechanism of miRNAs and miRNA-mRNA Regulatory Networks in Modulating Drug Resistance in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: An Integrative Bioinformatics Approach.

Background: HER2-positive breast cancer is an aggressive subtype where innate/acquired resistance to targeted drugs remains a challenge. This study aims to uncover the underlying mechanisms of HER2 drug resistance through miRNA analysis and target identification.

Methods: MiRNA datasets were systematically retrieved from the GEO database, and differential expression analysis was conducted for both miRNA and mRNA datasets.

miRNAs as biomarkers of therapeutic response to HER2-targeted treatment in breast cancer: A systematic review.

Breast cancer is the most common type of lethal cancer in women globally. Women have a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime. Among the four primary molecular subtypes (luminal A, luminal B, HER2+, and triple-negative), HER2+ accounts for 20-25 % of all breast cancer and is rather aggressive.

Dexamethasone-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for the Treatment of Dry Eye Disease.

Dry eye disease (DED) or keratoconjunctivitis sicca is a chronic multifactorial disorder of the ocular surface caused by tear film dysfunction. Symptoms include dryness, irritation, discomfort and visual disturbance, and standard treatment includes the use of lubricants and topical steroids. Secondary inflammation plays a prominent role in the development and propagation of this debilitating condition.

A qualitative exploration of the prescribing and use of statins in asymptomatic people in Ireland: A case of medicalisation, biomedicalisation and pharmaceuticalisation.

There has been a notable increase in the use of statins in people without cardiovascular disease but who may be at risk in the future. The majority of statin users now fall into this category but little research has focused exclusively on this group. Debate has ensued regarding medicating asymptomatic people, and processes described variously as medicalisation, biomedicalisation and pharmaceuticalisation are used to explain how this happens.

The Pandemic, Patient Advocacy, and the Importance of Thinking Comment on "The Rise of the Consucrat".

The profound inadequacies of Western modernist ways of thinking have been revealed by the intimately connected catastrophes of climate destruction, and more recently, the coronavirus crisis. The pandemic has forced us to notice deepening inequalities and has generated troubling questions about its causes, and who and what can be sacrificed in a pandemic. The analysis offered in Evelyn de Leeuw's essay "The rise of the consucrat" suggests that the particular type of patient advocates she calls consucrats are unlikely to engage in thinking together about these urgent questions.

Why Do Medical Professional Regulators Dismiss Most Complaints From Members of the Public? Regulatory Illiteracy, Epistemic Injustice, and Symbolic Power.

Drawing on an analysis of complaint files that we conducted for the Irish Medical Council (Madden and O'Donovan 2015), this paper offers three possible explanations for the gap between the ubiquity of official commitments to taking patients' complaints seriously and medical professional regulators' dismissal-as not warranting an inquiry-of the vast majority of complaints submitted by members of the public. One explanation points to the "regulatory illiteracy" of many complainants, where the remit and threshold of seriousness of regulators is poorly understood by the general public. Another points to possible processes of "institutional epistemic injustice" (Fricker 2007; Anderson 2012) that unjustly undermine the credibility of certain complainants, such as those with low levels of formal education.

Assessment of the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of different olive processing wastewaters.

Olive processing wastewaters (OPW), namely olive mill wastewater (OMW) and table-olive wastewaters (TOW) were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against five Gram-positive and two Gram-negative bacteria using the standard disc diffusion and thin layer chromatography (TLC)-bioautography assays. Disc diffusion screening and bioautography of OMW were compared to the phenolic extracts of table-olive brines. Positive activity against S.

Thiolated polymers as mucoadhesive drug delivery systems.

Mucoadhesion is the process of binding a material to the mucosal layer of the body. Utilising both natural and synthetic polymers, mucoadhesive drug delivery is a method of controlled drug release which allows for intimate contact between the polymer and a target tissue. It has the potential to increase bioavailability, decrease potential side effects and offer protection to more sensitive drugs such as proteins and peptide based drugs.

Influence of a low-carbohydrate diet on endothelial microvesicles in overweight women.

Low-carbohydrate diets (LCD) are increasing in popularity, but their effect on vascular health has been questioned. Endothelial microvesicles (EMV) are membrane-derived vesicles with the potential to act as a sensitive prognostic biomarker of vascular health and endothelial function. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of a LCD on EMV and other endothelial biomarkers of protein origin.

Synthesis and characterisation of mucoadhesive thiolated polyallylamine.

The thiolation of polyallylamine (PAAm) for use in mucoadhesive drug delivery has been achieved. PAAm was reacted with different ratios of Traut's reagent, yielding products with thiol contents ranging from 134-487μmol/g. Full mucoadhesive characterisation of the thiolated PAAm samples was conducted using swelling studies, mucoadhesive testing on porcine intestinal tissue and rheology.

Comparison of the mucoadhesive properties of thiolated polyacrylic acid to thiolated polyallylamine.

Synthetic polymers, polyacrylic acid (PAA) and polyallylamine (PAAm), were thiolated using different methods of thiolation. Both polymers resulted in comparable thiol contents, thus allowing for the direct comparison of mucoadhesive and cohesive properties between the well-established thiolated PAA and the more novel thiolated PAAm. Thiolation of both polymers improved the swelling ability and the cohesive and mucoadhesive properties in comparison to unmodified control samples.

Synthesis of mucoadhesive thiolated gelatin using a two-step reaction process.

Using a novel two-step approach, the thiolation of gelatin for mucoadhesive drug delivery has been achieved. The initial step involved the amination of native gelatin via an amine to carboxylic acid coupling reaction with ethylene diamine, followed by thiolation with Traut's reagent. The resulting thiolated product showed an increase in thiol content of up to 10-fold in comparison with control gelatin samples.

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of a marine-derived Bacillus strain for use as an in-feed probiotic for newly weaned pigs.

Forty eight individual pigs (8.7±0.26 kg) weaned at 28±1 d of age were used in a 22-d study to evaluate the effect of oral administration of a Bacillus pumilus spore suspension on growth performance and health indicators.

Effects of feeding Bt MON810 maize to sows during first gestation and lactation on maternal and offspring health indicators.

A total of twenty-four sows and their offspring were used in a 20-week study to investigate the effects of feeding GM maize on maternal and offspring health. Sows were fed diets containing GM or non-GM maize from service to the end of lactation. GM maize-fed sows were heavier on day 56 of gestation (P< 0·05).

Effects of feeding Bt maize to sows during gestation and lactation on maternal and offspring immunity and fate of transgenic material.

Background: We aimed to determine the effect of feeding transgenic maize to sows during gestation and lactation on maternal and offspring immunity and to assess the fate of transgenic material.

Methodology/principal Findings: On the day of insemination, sows were assigned to one of two treatments (n = 12/treatment); 1) non-Bt control maize diet or 2) Bt-MON810 maize diet, which were fed for ~143 days throughout gestation and lactation. Immune function was assessed by leukocyte phenotyping, haematology and Cry1Ab-specific antibody presence in blood on days 0, 28 and 110 of gestation and at the end of lactation.

A comprehensive study of metal distribution in three main classes of seaweed.

This paper provides one of the most comprehensive studies of metal distributions in three main macroalgae species. In this novel study, levels of total, intracellular and surface bound Pb, Zn, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn and Ni associated with Polysiphonia lanosa (L) Tandy, Ascophyllum nodosum (L) Le Jolis, Fucus vesiculosus (L) and Ulva sp. were determined.

Effects of feeding Bt MON810 maize to pigs for 110 days on peripheral immune response and digestive fate of the cry1Ab gene and truncated Bt toxin.

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate potential long-term (110 days) and age-specific effects of feeding genetically modified Bt maize on peripheral immune response in pigs and to determine the digestive fate of the cry1Ab gene and truncated Bt toxin.

Methodology/principal Findings: Forty day old pigs (n = 40) were fed one of the following treatments: 1) isogenic maize-based diet for 110 days (isogenic); 2) Bt maize-based diet (MON810) for 110 days (Bt); 3) Isogenic maize-based diet for 30 days followed by Bt maize-based diet for 80 days (isogenic/Bt); and 4) Bt maize-based diet (MON810) for 30 days followed by isogenic maize-based diet for 80 days (Bt/isogenic). Blood samples were collected during the study for haematological analysis, measurement of cytokine and Cry1Ab-specific antibody production, immune cell phenotyping and cry1Ab gene and truncated Bt toxin detection.

Prohibiting or 'managing' conflict of interest? A review of policies and procedures in three European drug regulation agencies.

In light of debates about the relationship between interests and scientific expert judgments, and the potential for declarations of conflict of interest (COI) to minimize corporate bias, we reviewed the approach to COI in 3 European drug regulatory bodies. These bodies were the Irish Medicines Board, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the United Kingdom and the European Medicines Agency in the European Union. Official statements about COI laws and codes of practice in the 3 contexts suggest that COIs are prohibited.

Transport and retinal capture of lutein and zeaxanthin with reference to age-related macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible blindness in the elderly population in the western world. The etiology and pathogenesis of this disease remain unclear. However, there is an increasing body of evidence supporting the hypothesis that the macular pigment carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, play an important role in protection against AMD, by filtering out blue light at a pre-receptoral level, or by quenching free radicals.

Corporate colonization of health activism? Irish health advocacy organizations' modes of engagement with pharmaceutical corporations.

This article is based on a study that aimed to shed light on the "cultures of action" of Irish health advocacy organizations, and particularly their modes of engagement with pharmaceutical corporations. Debates about what some interpret as the "corporate colonization" of health activism provide the backdrop for the analysis. The empirical dimension of the study involved a survey of 112 organizations and in-depth study of a small number of organizations that manifest diverse modes of engagement with the pharmaceutical industry.

Risk factors for age-related maculopathy are associated with a relative lack of macular pigment.

Macular pigment (MP) is composed of the two dietary carotenoids lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z), and is believed to protect against age-related maculopathy (ARM). This study was undertaken to investigate MP optical density with respect to risk factors for ARM, in 828 healthy subjects from an Irish population. MP optical density was measured psychophysically using heterochromatic flicker photometry, serum L and Z were quantified by HPLC, and dietary intake of L and Z was assessed using a validated food-frequency questionnaire.

Monthly consistency of macular pigment optical density and serum concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin.

Purpose: This study was undertaken to assess serial month-to-month consistency of macular pigment (MP) optical density and serum concentrations of lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z). Four healthy subjects aged between 23 and 51 years volunteered to participate in this study.

Methods: MP optical density (measured psychophysically using heterochromatic flicker photometry [HFP]), and serum concentrations of L and Z (quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography [HPLC]), were recorded every month for 24 consecutive months.

Macular pigment and ocular biometry.

This study is designed to investigate the relationship between macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and ocular biometric parameters. The following details were recorded for 180 healthy subjects: demographic profile; best-corrected visual acuity; refractive status; ocular biometric parameters [axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT) and vitreous chamber depth (VCD)]; ocular dominance; MPOD; serum lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z). The mean MPOD (+/-SD) was 0.

Measurement of macular pigment: Raman spectroscopy versus heterochromatic flicker photometry.

Purpose: There are several techniques for measuring macular pigment (MP) in vivo, of which Raman spectroscopy (RS) is a recently developed objective

Method: This study reports the reproducibility, test-retest variability, and validity of RS MP readings, by comparing them with heterochromatic flicker photometry (HFP).

Methods: MP was measured with HFP and RS in 120 healthy subjects, and the latter technique was also used on two separate occasions in a sample of 20 subjects to investigate the intersessional variability of readings. Intrasessional reproducibility of RS MP measurements was also calculated.